Take What The Water Gave Me
by Vivalatuavita
Summary: A certain pirate kidnaps a lovely red haired mermaid in his plan to exact revenge on the boy who wouldn't grow up.
1. Take What The Water Gave Me

The breeze swayed, bringing with it the smell of salt. A thick fog permeated the air, hiding the mystery of the horizon within it. The waves grew larger; hurried, tumbling in a fast procession of white foam rising over the crest.

A storm was brewing, as was her father's anger. King Triton forbade her to go to the surface alone, a time too many to count. A ship broke through the fog, looming ahead in purview.

For a while she remained still, watching the ship draw closer and Ariel had already decided she would not leave until the absolute moment she had to go. Her sisters wished to play in the lagoon - the only land Triton would let his daughters break the surface without acquisition.

In the hour before dawn, she swam sluggishly through the water, waiting for the battling sun to break through the fog. She was close to the surface, where human children would sometimes frolic in the shallow waters. Around her, the reeds sighed and trembled. A colorless sedge-warbler flitted through the air, dancing circles around her head. She laughed, a song conjoined with the birds, their voices blending with the humdrum of the reeds.

The ship, now close to the harbor, ignited her excitement. She could now see the humans onboard, going about their morning ritual. She was close enough to make out a face or two, and the butterflies in her belly flitted nervously. With a peculiar, lingering enjoyment, she leaped into the endless waters, her fins hurrying toward the lagoon.

She found them waiting near the barrier reef, bored and unassuming as they waited for their youngest sister. "Finally," they called out, their happiness fulfilled as they whizzed through the water now, all play.

"Catch me if you can," Aquata laughed, sailing through the water ahead of her sisters. "Last one to the lagoon is rotten kelp." Attina taunted from close behind, her long feathery brown hair glistening beneath the sun's rays as they jetted past Dead Man's Cove.

Ariel, the youngest, tethered at the end of the pack, giggling at a nearby dolphin performing back flips in the water per her amusement. Her sisters wouldn't worry. They knew more oft than not that Ariel was easily distracted. Following the dolphin, she dived beneath the surface until she reached tall pillars of coral, gray and ghostly, like those stubbly trees she'd see on the edge of the beach. An array of colorful algae, sponges, and sea fans clung to the pillars while fish flitted around, poking their beady eyes from crevices.

_This is my world_, Ariel realized with sorrow. _And I am a stranger to it_. The bottom of the sea, what she had once found fascinating, was now alien and lackluster.

Her sisters were already lounging in the lagoon when she surfaced later. Her skin tingled in the glow, the green scales a kaleidoscope of color against the slippery surface of the rock. The summer sun stood high in the sky now, its warmth radiating from the heavens, a stark contrast of the earlier fog she experienced.

"It's about time, Ariel," Alana chastised her youngest sister before turning to the others, who were arranging their hair with starfish and kelp bands. "Do you think Peter will come and tell us a story today?"

Ariel's face flushed. It did not go unnoticed by Alana, who squinted at her. "Oooh. Ariel fancies Pan."

"I do not!" Ariel shouted, flustered. She hated that she was so transparent. Of course they'd all notice how she would go missing from time to time when the Indians celebrated on the hill. Peter would leave them sometimes, mid-story, to dance with Princess Tiger Lily. She'd found the jealousy bubbling up within her disconcerting.

"Oh, look, Ariel's as red as her hair," Alana teased. Ariel was about to give her older sister a unladylike shove into the water when a sudden shrill filled the air.

"Pirates!" Aquatta cried, jumping into the water. Her actions sent the other mermaids flailing about, trying their best to nudge themselves off the rocks they perched on.

Ariel, distracted, stared up at the ship with fascination. She'd never been _this_ close to one.

"Ariel!" one of her sisters cried.

But it was too late, she realized, as a net was thrown over her, effectively trapping her.

Ariel felt a scream building in the back of her throat; her senses reigniting again. Suddenly, the net was painstakingly lifted from the water, dangling her over the lagoon and bumping her against the side of the ship. Over the deck, Ariel could make out faces, faces of pirates, as the net was lowered and she crashed into the deck, a tangle of net and limbs and tail. Suddenly a figure reached up and threw their hood back, revealing a face that Ariel had only dreamt of from Peter's stories. A glint of a hook from beneath the cloak confirmed her fears.

Cold eyes as blue as the sky or the rumbling ocean stared back into hers, hips lips curved into a wicked smile.

"Captain Hook?" Ariel exclaimed with a gasp.

"Ah, so you've heard of me."


	2. Mermaid Blues

Hook brought a finger up to his chin and stroked it in thought as his eyes scanned over me.

His eyes raked over her indecently before he cleared his throat. "A pretty little mermaid. No doubt your little Pan will come looking for you when he finds out you're missing."

He meant to use her to hurt _Peter_?

Ariel reared back, her tail flapping against the trapping of the net, ready to make a jump overboard. Two pirates lunged forward, grabbing her arms and twisting them behind her. She opened her mouth to scream for her father; there was nowhere on the sea he wouldn't be able to find her, but a hand smacked over her mouth before she could.

A bag slipped over her head and she was lifted from the deck, net and all, and thrown over something. She screamed and screamed, but her cries were muffled by the fabric.

Maybe, she mused, maybe this was Poseidon's way of granting her the adventure she so longed for, but not in the way she wanted it.

Meaty hands encircled her waist, tossing her like a lump of coral until she hit the deck, hard, and she yanked the bag from her face with shaking hands. She gasped, horrified, as a fattened pirate grasped a knife in his fist. She had heard the horrors of what pirates did to mermaids. After her mother had been captured when she was two years old, her father had banned his daughters from ever nearing the surface. He'd only extended leniency towards the lagoon – water that had, until the tide, been too shallow that any ship that dared cross would be ripped apart by the sharp rocks beneath the surface.

Instead of gutting her like a fish, the pirate worked the task of cutting her out of the net.

"I freed her, Cap. What're the orders?" Meaty called out behind him.

"Toss her in the brig," Captain Hook ordered. Meaty nodded his understanding. "Aye, aye, Captain."

Suddenly the ground left her again as Meaty hoisted her up over his shoulder. The world blurred momentarily at the harsh movement. He carried her below the deck, away from the sky and the sea. Meaty grunted, pawing at her waist and bent to toss her off of him again. The movement of the rolling ship rolled her upside down and her head hit the cold stone floor.

With a groan of pain, Ariel sat up and held her palm flat against her head. Her palm came back, coated with blood that made her feel dizzy. A little brown squeaking thing scuttled across her fin, and she shrieked, identifying it as a horse. Peter had told her of horses before, but she imagined them to be much bigger.

Choking back a sob, Ariel realized she would likely meet the fate of her mother; she would never see her father or sisters again. She brought her tail to her chest, wrapped her arms around it, and wept. It was still cool and damp, but after a while, it would dry and crack.

After she was drunk on crying, her eyes red and puffy, she strained to hear the sounds coming from above, but all she could hear was the lapping of the water against the sides of the boat. She wanted to peer out of the tiny circular windows, but they were far too high for her to reach with her damned tail. Only wisps of sunlight drifted in, lighting up the dust in the air.

Sleepy and exhausted from her tantrum, she used her elbows to try to pull herself in a corner. Her tail was so heavy without the weightlessness of gravity, she gave up halfway and laid there, head pressed against the coolness of the wood beneath her, and slept.

When Ariel woke, the room was darker than before. The sun's rays had dimmed and she wondered how much time had passed. Her father must have been beside himself with worry.

A clamor sounded on deck above her and she strained to hear what was going on.

"Let Ariel go, Hook!" Peter's boyish voice demanded. Ariel's heart soared. He had come for her!

"Return my treasure and surrender to me or the mermaid dies," Hook shouted. A cold shudder ran along her spine as she tried to push herself to the door without much success. If only she could get to the deck, Pan could take her and fly away!

"Don't do it, Peter!" she cried.

"Ariel?" Peter called out. The door at the top of the stairs flew open, and Peter flew in, landing before her. "Hold on Ariel, I'll get you out of here," he said, smiling, as his thin arms encircled her waist. He pulled and pulled but her weight was much too heavy for him to carry.

Hook appeared at the top of the stairs, his hook glinting in the dusk.

"You can't help her without Tink's dust. Give me back my treasure, or watch her die, Pan."

"I don't have your bloody treasure, Hook! I had them hide it!"

"Then you better find it," Hook demanded, unsheathing his sword with his good hand.

Peter looked back at Ariel, his face sad and forlorn. "I'll come back for you, Ariel. I promise!" he whispered in her ear before taking flight, escaping through the only door by sailing above Hook's head.

"One month!" he shouted towards Pan. "One month or she dies!"


	3. Rolling In The Deep

The quiet rocking of the ship lulled Ariel into an uncomfortable sense of sleep. Her skin felt too dry, to chafed, and the brisk damp air made her nose run.

Her head swam dizzily, and her thoughts grew unfocused as the night dragged on. The sway of the ship eventually stirred a disagreeable cramping in her belly. She wondered if she was already beginning to die, if she'd soon evaporate into nothing more than sea foam.

Her plea for water was answered in the form of a big boom. The circular barred window above her cracked and shattered, drawing in the harsh rain, slapping in sprays against her face and tail. By now her father had sent patrols to scour the sea in search for his youngest daughter; the storm wailing outside was proof of his anger. Hell hath no fury like Triton scorned.

Ariel nestled back into the swarm of nets and hay she made for her bed. Itchy and rough, it reminded her of the bright, colorful coral where she played Hide-And-Go-Swim with her sisters as children. The rain washing in was enough to dampen her skin with its drizzle, reawakening her.

The next time Ariel woke, tossing and turning, it was morning. The rays of early sunshine drifted in through the window, directly in her eyes. She tried to sit up, but the churning in her stomach threatened to consume her. Meaty came in a while later, and she forced herself into sitting position, eying the pirate warily as his gold tooth glistened at her through his smile. He grasped a bowl with steam eroding from the concoction.

"Here you are, mermaid," he said, offering her the bowl. When she didn't make any movement to take it from him, he settled it on the floor beside her. He gave her a while before starting up the stairs again.

"Ariel," she murmured.

"What's that, miss?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.

"My name. It's Ariel."

He turned and continued up the stairs.

"What's your name?" Ariel asked, determined to spark some sort of kinship in the man. It never hurt to have someone on your side, her father had told her once.

He paused on the top step and turned around to face her. "Smee."

"Mister Smee? May I have a...uhm... what's the word... blay-nuk-et? I'm cold."

"A blanket? Mermaids get cold, swimming around in freezing water all day?"

"There's hot springs on the ocean floor," she countered.

"Of course," his beady eyes drew together as if he hadn't thought of it. "I'll be right back with your blanket." He said before disappearing at the top of the stairs. Moments later he returned with a thin, gray blanket and handed it to her. She grabbed it, quickly wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Best drink your soup while it's hot, Ariel."

"Drink?" Ariel quizzed, reaching for the steaming hot bowl and carefully holding it between her hands. "This is food?"

He laughed heartily, as if she said something terribly amusing. "Aye, lass." He laughed his merry little way up the stairs.

Staring at the liquid inside the bowl, she brought it to her lips, tilting it slightly. It awakened her taste buds and she tilted it even more, drinking it as fast as she could. It scorched a path down her throat, but did nothing to warm her up.

Setting the bowl aside, Ariel caressed a hand down her scales. Where it normally glistened, was dull and dry and rough to the touch. With a sigh, she lay down and curled up into a ball, trying to fall back asleep.

Ariel awake later to coughs rocking through her chest and chills up her spine. She felt stiff and disoriented, and if this is what humans did all day to be free above the sea, she would gladly stay in the ocean forever.

Time seemed to blur together, contorting in shapes of sky and tide. The next thing she knew the lock of the door at the tip-top of the stairs was turning. She cracked her eyes open slowly to see Smee enter, another bowl in his hands.

"Are ye alright, miss?" he asked her, placing the bowl down next to her and taking the empty one into his hands.

Ariel shook her head despite the throbbing ache between her temples. Another chill coursed down her spine and she drew the blanket tighter to much avail. Smee placed his meaty hand against her head, his calluses bristly and warm against her skin. Normally Ariel would've flinched from him, but too much movement would cause her sight to pulse.

"Oh dear me. This is not good. Not good at all," he mumbled lightly. "I'll be back soon, miss."

Ariel watched him disappear, closing the door lightly behind him. Did he sense she was dying, that she was withering down into nothing but foam?

* * *

Smee pushed through the thong of crew on deck and stalked straight to the cabin, rapping his knuckles against the door twice before entering without consent. Captain Hook looked up at him, annoyed.

"What is it, Smee?" he asked, giving his subordinate a harsh look as he resumed his task of sharpening his hook.

"Ariel- the... the mermaid. I fear she's sick of influenza, Captain," he explained. Hook didn't even bother to look up.

"Your point, Smee." Hook gritted through his teeth.

"If she dies, you'll have nothing against Pan."

Hook looked up at Smee, brazen with thought. "Take care of it." He went back to sharpening, but Smee still stood in place. "Yes, Smee?"

"She has to be moved from that cell, Captain."

Hook's exasperation threatened to boil over. "Then move her."

"But Captain, she needs to be moved somewhere warm and dry. But she needs a place where she can sit in water... and the only place on your ship is.. well... " Smee trailed off.

Hook gritted his teeth, two seconds away from driving his sword into Smee's belly. "Out with it!"

"Your cabin, sir," he stuttered timidly.

"No."

"But Captain, if-"

"Find somewhere else for her."

"Sir, the rest of the ship is much too drafty and wet... on deck she'd be a risk at jumping overboard."

"Fine."

Smee turned to leave the room, but Hook's beckon stopped him in his footsteps. He turned around to see a wicked look of malice upon the Captain's face. Only such looks were reserved for Rumpelstiltskin and Peter Pan. Smee gulped.

"If she dies..." Hook trailed off, clasping his hook on his missing hand and turning it clockwise until it locked in place. His hook made a single motion, a slash across the neck for demonstration.

Smee heard him loud and clear. The mermaid dies, and so does he.

**AUTHORS NOTE: **

**Hi, and thank you guys for reading and reviewing, adding to faves and story alerts and all that! You're all awesome. Alrightyyyy, so not much Hook, but hey, they'll be living together soon ;P heh**


	4. There's Something About You

Ariel convulsed in a rack of painful shudders. More oft than not her teeth would start jittering, and she'd bite her tongue until she tasted the faint metallic of blood. Salty tears cascaded down her cheeks and dried there, her face puffy from relentless sobbing. It hurt to cry, even, as her trembling quaked and shattered every cell in her body.

Time knew no meaning here. The sun would only rise and set in a matter of centuries to her. Here, in her dark cell, days could've passed without her knowledge. Months, even. She had given up on Peter's promise to save her.

Once she opened her crusty, wearied eyes to see Mr. Smee hovering over her, unwrapping her from the trappings of net and dampened fabric of torn sails. Hook had given Peter a week; had it been that long already? It didn't matter anymore, Ariel thought. She would welcome death. For that, she would be grateful. She had nothing to fear anymore, for at least sea foam felt no pain.

"Don't worry, miss, you'll feel better soon." Smee patted her shoulder gently as he wrapped an arm around them and slipped another under her tail. She winced in pain and cried out with every fiber left in her being when he tried to lift her. A mermaid's tail was heavy on land, but as weightless as the lightest caress in the water.

He tried again, exerting more strength this time, but only managed a few inches before his muscles spasmed and let her back down. She shook in earnest. Tears leaked from behind her eyelids at the movement, as if thousands of pinpricks stabbing her. Was she really that heavy, or was his robust girth all fat and no tone?

"I'll be back, Ariel," he said, and went out the way he came.

* * *

Smee avoided the crowd on deck, making headway for the Captain's cabin. He used to be a strong lad in his day, before he married a cook at one of the ports who fed him potatoes for every meal. Poor lass died five years past when trolls pounded through the harbor, and he had joined up on Hook's formidable crew.

Coming up to the cabin, he once again knocked shortly and entered without permission. Hook looked up from his captain log, and scowled at the empty-handed Smee. "What is it now, Smee?" Hook sighed. He was more than ready to toss the man off the plank, and he was actually sort of fond of him.

"Well, Captain... I cannot seem to pick to pick her up," he admitted meekly, eyes focusing on the wood beneath his feet. Hook rolled his eyes, standing up so sudden that his chair fell backwards. Smee flinched at the crash.

"It's a damn girl, not an ox. How heavy could the mermaid be? It isn't like she gained weight since you picked her up last." Hook bellowed. Smee didn't answer him. "Get out of my chambers."

"B-but Captain..."

"Out!"

He pushed Smee through the empty door and slammed it shut, the sound reverberating throughout the walls. With a frustrated growl, he threw the door open and stalked past out onto the brig. He could've given the demand to anyone but Smee, but he didn't trust any of those men with a woman, even one with a tail. Months on the sea without a lass in a man's bed would make most of them desperate. And he needed her alive, for now.

* * *

Ariel had almost drifted off when the door opened, hitting the wall harshly. The sound scared her awake, and her limbs painfully protested against her reflexed skitter. Captain Hook stalked down the stairs toward her. She smiled, her lips cracked and blue, awaiting death at his order. He leaned over scooped her up easily, throwing a bored glance towards the top of the stairs, where she could see Smee's booted feet at the top. He cradled her against his chest, gently, rather than the rough treatment of being thrown over the shoulder she received when she had been put down there.

Hook glided up the stairs with grace, never showing any indication that she weighted the million pounds of trouble Smee's arms seemed to find her. Smee pranced ahead, throwing open the cabin door, allowing Hook to stride right in and dump her unceremoniously onto his bed. Ariel bit her tongue, yelping in protest. Any previous thoughts she might've had of him being gentle with her vanished from her mind completely.

Captain Hook turned and walked around to the other side of his desk and eased a chair from the floor, dropping himself into it. He looked up at Smee through his lashes, evidently annoyed. "Well, then, draw the mermaid a bath. Unless buckets are too heavy for you, now." He remarked sardonically, going back to scribbling on whatever he had on his desk.

Smee nodded toward the captain, glancing toward Ariel before leaving her alone with him. Hook didn't look up at her once. What was he waiting for? Wasn't he going to kill her? Smee reappeared minutes later, his arms weighed down with two sloshing buckets of steaming water. Again and again, he would bring the rusted buckets of water filled to the brim to pour into the claw toothed tub, what resembled a giant egg-shaped basin. Ariel had drifted off again, only to awaken when Smee tried to failingly pick her up again.

With a derisive sigh, Captain Hook stood up, walked around his desk to the bed, picked her up, and shuffled her to the tub. He settled her gently into the water this time, and she hissed through her teeth in pain. He didn't let go of her this time, and didn't let go of her until she was entirely submerged, and the front of his shirt and jacketed arms were soaked. Her scales, long since dried and cracked, woke with fire as if the hot water brought the dull pain to life. She gasped at the sensation, biting through her lip with such roughness it instantaneously began to bleed. The blood was warm and bitter against her tongue.

Hook, frowning, reached for a washcloth, dotting the end of it into the water before pressing it onto her bleeding lip. "Tsk," he muttered. "Your beloved Peter will think I'm not taking proper care of you if you're bleeding like that, little mermaid. We don't want that, now do we?" His tone was amused, and feeling lightheaded and rejuvenated at the hot water, she resisted the urge to smack him across the face.

He backed away from her before the impulse took over and went back to his desk. Smee walked in with another bowl of steaming soup. Was that all humans ate all day? How dreadfully dull. Smee sat there on a small tool he brought over next to the tub, and helped her drink her soup like she was an invalid. When he left, the water was lukewarm, but still left good to be submerged in water, even if she couldn't stretch out the length of her tail in the tub.

She realized a minute later that Smee had left her alone with Captain Hook. A sense of unease bubbled up in her belly, frightful of why he had been kind enough to allow her water. She kept her eyes open until they grew weary, but he never once looked up at her. If was as if the pirate had forgotten he held a mermaid captive in his bathtub.

Eventually, she couldn't fight the will to sleep anymore, and sunk down into the tub as far as she could go, and succumbed to sleep.

* * *

Killian sat at his desk, writing in his log. Every once in a while, he would glance up at the mermaid, snoozing in his tub. And each time he looked up, she had sunk further into the water until all he saw was a shock of red hair at the tip-top of her head. The color was bright as fresh blood on the end of his sword, or the sun exploding from the sky, dipping below the ocean's horizon, red as can be. At least, that was the color he associated her hair, as he watched the sun fall past the outside of his window. Bringing about a splatter of stars.

_Second to the right and straight on til morning. _ He had once been close to Peter Pan, closer than friendship. Brothers, even. But Killian grew up and Peter didn't. All for a girl named Wendy, who chose neither of them, changed her name, and married what would become his greatest foe, even more so than Peter. She had left Rumpelstiltskin eventually, his Milah - his _Wendy_ - and came back for Killian. Peter couldn't have that, and told the Crocodile where to find him.

In the end, they both lost her.

With a frustrated sigh, Killian shoved all thought of Peter out of his head and retired to bed, feet away from the mermaid at slumber in his tub.

* * *

When Killian awakened, it wasn't at daybreak, and the sky beyond his window was black as the night sea. He groggily ran a hand over his mused hair, pressing his palm into his eyes before lighting the lantern at his bedside, in search of what woke him hours before the sun would emerge.

The mermaid lay half submerged in the tub, the water cold as she thrashed about, kicking out her tail, spraying water all over him and the cabin. At first he thought she was awake, either trying to escape or irritate him to hell, but quickly realized she was asleep. Her nose and cheeks were almost as red as the half-dried hair on her head. Sweat beaded up at her hairline, and her skin felt hot, feverish to the touch. The water, long since cold, wasn't helping her any.

Exasperated, he rolled up his sleeves and dipped his hands into the icy water, his hands groping scales and flesh in the darkness, trying to get a hold of her. He grasped her around her waist, deftly lifting her from the tub. The mermaid didn't wake, but pressed her cold body closer to him, clinging to the source of warmth in her sleep. Her nose pressed against his neck and he could feel her slow, deep breaths across his collarbone.

As not to wake her, he bend down and placed her on the thick fur rug, reaching in the darkness for a towel to dry her off with. He almost felt something like pity, but quickly dismissed the thought. She was his prisoner, a pawn in his scheme to get what he wanted from Pan.

She wasn't as young as what he thought. Spending her time with his boyish brother, he instantly regarded her as a child. Now, looking at her sprawled out on the floor in front of him, she was more defined than a girl, with high cheekbones and soft features, well into her maturity.

Grabbing a couple blankets from his bed, he wrapped them around her and sparked a small fire in the hearth before collapsing back into bed.


	5. A Moment Changes Everything

On the tether between sleep and awake, Ariel felt something soft and damp press against her head. For a moment, she smiled drunkenly, thinking she had died and withered away to sea foam, home again floating on the surface of the sea. Before, she had feared the thought of death. But with death, she could be a part of the sea and of the surface beyond.

Her tired eyes cracked open and her spirits dampened. She was still alive, still possessed by Captain Hook. Was Peter ever going to come for her? Ariel reached up to drag the hand rag from her forehead, and realized she wasn't still in the tub. Instead, she was on the floor beside it, her tail wrapped in blankets. Her muscles no longer ached as badly as before, although they throbbed with each and every movement. It was still dim in the cabin, hard to see anything, even when she squinted into the darkness. Instead of worrying of her fate, she drew the covers to her chin and her weary eyes drifted shut.

The next time she awoke, it was midmorning. The sun was high in the sky, the rays lighting up the room through the window, right into her tired eyes. Weary, she lifted her head and surveyed the room without much avail. Captain Hook nor Mr. Smee was anywhere to be found. She wondered briefly if she had the energy to drag herself to the window, break the window, and jump back into the water before either of them returned.

Alas, it seems, she did not. The door suddenly swung open, startling her out of her scheming. Plump little Smee walked in, with another bowl of soup in his hands. Her nose wrinkled in distaste. The very substance was helping to keep her alive, and the repetitiveness of it made her want to die. At least in Triton's castle, they didn't eat the same thing day after day.

"Morning, miss."

"Good morning, Mr. Smee," Ariel answered.

He sat down and fed her, spoon by spoonful of the concoction. She felt like a child, sitting on her mother's lap. Clearly Smee didn't trust her to feed herself. And he was right. She wouldn't have. Why make it any easier for them?

Instead of voicing her thoughts, she simply replied, "Thank you for everything."

"No need, miss," he whispered, his cheeks going red.

"I must. You did naught have to come and check on me during the night when the water got cold in the tub."

Smee looked up in confusion, his eyebrows squinting together as if thinking was a bit painful. Perhaps for humans, it was. She wouldn't know, he was the first human she ever talked too besides Peter, who didn't do much thinking at all.

A grin spread out across his face, as if he realized something Ariel didn't know. "I'll be back later," he answered before she could ask, and hurried himself out the door.

The door burst open again, and she hoped the door had no feelings for its mistreatment. Captain Hook rushed in, hastily slamming it behind him. His eyes suddenly flitted to Ariel, and he stopped midstep, inhaling sharply as if he had forgot her very existence.

He ignored her, his head high as he finished his trek across the room and sat down in his desk. When he reached for his feather pen, Ariel noticed that the leather of his jacket sleeve was cut, exposing a line of blood underneath.

"You're bleeding," she blurted out, unthinking. He looked down at his arm and seemed to notice it for the first time. Shrugging off his coat, he reached into one of the drawers behind his desk and pulled out strips of cloth and a dark bottle. He tipped the bottle over, and some concoction ran out onto his wound, before he took a swig and set it aside. She watched him wrap the cloth around his arm. It couldn't have been any easy feat, having to use his injured arm and a hook to do so. He even had to tighten the cloth with his teeth.

A nagging feeling bubbled up in the pit of her stomach. It was such an absurd feeling for her, but she pitied him. Maybe even sympathized with him. She realized then, why Smee had been smiling. Because it wasn't Smee who had helped her last night, but Hook himself. It was confusing for her. Peter said villains were always evil. But he wasn't evil. He could've left her to rot beneath the deck in that cold cell, but he didn't. Maybe all villains weren't terrible. Maybe some were just misunderstood.

She had asked Peter once, why he hated Hook so much. _A girl_, he told her. _She grew up, and Hook had taken her from me. Her name was Wendy._

"Captain Hook?" Ariel started slowly, her meek voice raising an octave to get his attention. He looked up at her, scowling. She had wanted to ask him his side of the story about the girl named Wendy, but she worried he'd get angry and do something villainous. Instead she said, "I wanted to think you."

Surprise registered in his face, and his eyes narrowed slightly as if he didn't trust her. "For what," he asked wearily.

"For your kindness last night," she finished. Silence reigned supreme. He stared at her, expressionless as a fish, and nodded. "You're welcome, milady."

He picked his pen back up and resumed his writing. The only sound to be heard was the scratch of the quill against parchment.

She bit down on her bottom lip but the nagging in her belly did not cease. She was starting to believe that everything Peter told her wasn't the full truth of the matter. Ariel pushed the thought from her head.

* * *

Ariel didn't know how much time had passed after that. After many hours, the Captain retired for the night. Ariel lay awake, watching the stars flicker across the night sky from the window. When she slept, she dreamed of Peter coming to her that night, promising to save her in hushed whispers. She glanced at Hook from the corner of her eye, lost in slumber. He did not look very evil, laying there, his face unguarded. She looked at Peter again.

"You can't. My tail is too heavy. You'll wake him and he'll kill you, Peter," she whispered.

He grinned at her in the darkness, and held up a small bottle of shimmering, purple liquid. "Not with this. It's what you've always wanted, Ariel."

She frowned, looking from the bottle to his face. The only thing she had ever wanted was to be human, to walk amongst them. He would've needed a witch to procure such a thing. "Peter, what did you do?"

Peter pouted at her lack of excitement. He had gotten her something she always wanted. If she'd just take the potion, she would have legs! And he could rescue her from Killian, like Wendy before her. He knew his Ariel wouldn't ever want Captain Hook! "I made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin. Just take it, Ariel!"

Ariel carefully took the bottle from his hands, uncorking the screw and brought it up to her lips. Her mouth was flooded with disgusting, thick broth. She wanted to lean over and spit it out, but Peter's hands closed over hers, forcing the liquid down her throat.

She released a earth-shattering scream, and battle ensued around her as she awoke Hook and the rest of the crew while she writhed in agony, her body glowing a sickly green. Light cracked her skin open. It poured from her pores. She howled in pain before the light closed around her, and the dream faded from beneath her...

She lay there for hours, days, weeks, years, and no time at all. A fog swept over her mind, hazy and unyielding, blinding her. She was all too consumed with her revelation, which only the dullest of her senses could push through the fog. She heard voices, unclear and muddled, as if she were underwater and lost the ability to breathe beneath the waves. Shadows hurried across her vision, but nothing stuck.

_Am I finally dying now? _Ariel wondered to herself. Maybe she was beginning to turn to foam. Sea foam had no use of food, of a body. Of anything. It made sense that it was happening now. She couldn't feel anything. She had no control over anything. She was no longer anything.

There were times when she would fade away, fade from existence, into nothingness. There was no air, no water, no thoughts. She felt nothing. Other times she would rise from that fog, watching blurry shapes move across her vision. She began to think she imagined those times, because the truth of not existing was too painful to bear. Ariel wanted to cry, but she had no tears, no eyes. She would never see her father or sisters again. Not even Flounder or her babysitting crustacean, Sebastian.

She imagined when she died, she wouldn't remember anything. She'd be there, but gone. Exist without a thought, without a care.

And then it all came back.

The fog lifted, and she could feel again. And it hurt. Every bone protested and groaned that she had to grit her teeth in order to force her eyes open. She was alone in the cabin. The window was covered, and she was in darkness. There was a fire in the hearth, igniting the room in a warm, orange glow. She could feel the kiss of heat against her skin. Her bones felt lagged from underuse, but she managed to pull herself into sitting position. She was wrapped in sheets and could scarcely move.

The door threw open and Ariel jumped in alarm. Mr. Smee's grin stretched from ear to ear when he saw her, and his eyes lit up. "Miss, you're alive!" he exclaimed. His eyes flickered to my wrapped fins.

Ariel frowned in confusion. "Did I fall sick again?" She tried to remember what had happened, but her mind was hazy. Hook's wound and her delirious dreams.

"Something like that, miss. Do you not remember what happened?"

Ariel watched him wearily. A dream flitted across her mind, of her screaming in agony as her tail stiffened, surrounded by light. Her tail splitting into two.

Ariel looked down at the blankets she was wrapped in atop of Captain Hook's bed. Silently, she worked her clumsy fingers trying to unknot herself from them, to free her fins. She pulled and pulled until she could release herself. Her fins and tail had been turned into two smooth human legs. She stared in amazement as she flexed her new appendages; it felt so strange having two limbs instead of one strong one.

Panic and overwhelming happiness rose within her. She flailed around, and keeled over off the bed. With a painful "oomph!" she hit the floor and rolled over to sit up. The weight of her tail usually kept her in place but with these thinner legs, she was light. Mr. Smee helped her up, and her legs wobbled beneath her as she clung to him, trying to right herself. He gently set her back on the bed and wrapped her up, blushing. "I'll try and find some clothes for you, miss. Best you keep covered with these blankets."

_Oh_.

She realized without her fins, she was essentially naked, covered only by her purple sea-shell bra. "Right," she remarked, though she did not understand why men did not wish to see women naked. Perhaps it was a human thing, and they were disgusted by seeing her legs. That would explain why women always wore long dresses to cover them.

"I'll...uh, tell the Captain you are finally better. He will be happy to hear that." He handed her a bowl full of - you guessed it, soup - and hurried out.

She sipped at the concoction while she wiggled her... what were they called again? Oh, toes! While she wiggled her toes, she thought of what he said about the Captain being happy to hear of her recovery. She doubted he cared whether she was well or not. Smee was nice to her, and she knew he thought highly of his superior.

Moments later, the door eased open slowly; the hinges creaked loudly, unused to not being thrown open with force. Hook strode in, closing it soundlessly behind him.

_Speak of the shark, and he shall appear. _

He sat behind her on the bed, and she brought her feet up to her chest, inching as far away from him as she could. He watched her wiggle her toes, and the edge of his lip quirked up slightly. His cold blue eyes met hers. "I am glad to hear you are better, merm- Ariel." he said, and Ariel raised an eyebrow. Smee must've told him her name. He must have been surprised she had a name other than mermaid.

"Really?"

"Of course," he said in much seriousness, but a smile played at his lips. "You are of no use to me dead."

"You... you baboon!"

He snorted. "I think you mean buffoon."

"Hmpf!" Ariel wrapped her arms around her chest, narrowing her eyes at him. He simply stood up from his perch at the edge of the bed and walked to his desk, back to scribbling in his book. She wanted to ask him if Peter was dead. Her dream was real, so he must have been the one giving her the concoction to turn her into a human. Her screaming had sold him out.

But she knew if Peter was dead, Captain Hook would be smug and brag to anyone who would hear.

"You're feisty, for a mermaid," he murmured, his eyes never once looking up from what he was writing.

"I'm not a mermaid, anymore," she said smugly, throwing the sheets off of her and standing up to show him her new legs, regardless of men being disgusted at the sight of legs. He glanced up, but what he saw held his attention and his eyes darkened. He stood, walking around his desk until he was in front of her, so close she could feel his breath across her forehead. He leaned in, and for some unknown reason, her eyes flickered.

She thought he was going to kiss her.

But he didn't. Instead, he picked up the blanket she'd tossed, and wrapped it around her waist, tying the edges in a knot so it was secured. "You may be proud of your legs," Hook whispered, his voice low. Unknown heat flooded inside her. "...but you may want to keep them covered. If any of my other crew knew there was a woman on deck with legs now, you wouldn't be safe alone."

She shivered, and her eyes widened in fear, the memory of her dead mother fresh in her mind.

Hook walked out, closing the door behind him. Ariel laid back down, snuggled under the covers where she felt safer, and quickly fell asleep.

Something nudged her awake later, and she realized it was the sound of music, a piano. The sound seeped into her dreams, where it twisted with notes twirling around her until it finally woke her. She groggily opened her eyes and turned on her side to see Captain Hook sitting at the piano, one hand gliding over the keys. She listened silently, and when he finished he suddenly looked up and his eyes met hers. Her heart quickened when his gaze narrowed.

"What?" he snapped.

"It's a lovely sound. You play beautifully," she murmured, wondering where he learnt such a thing. She never assumed pirates liked anything, other than villiantry and sneering and sailing. "But isn't that a love song?" she asked. She had heard it before, all the times she snuck off to the harbor, watching humans from afar.

"So it is," he said, and that was that.

"I didn't know Captain Hook would know anything of love," she mused aloud.

"I know more than you might think," he mumbled. She had to strain to hear it, his voice was so low.

* * *

**Ah, so sorry it's been 11 days since I last uploaded. But this chapter was like twice as long in word as my precious ones, so hopefully that makes up for it. Also, I changed the timeline from Mermaid Blues, where he gives Peter ONE WEEK, and changed it to one month. Hopefully I didn't confuse you guys too much. Thanks for reading, adding to story alerts, reviewing. You guys are awesome for it :D Hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**


	6. Couldn't Have Her

Ariel must have succumbed to sleep, because when she opened her eyes again it was dark, the only light protruded from the embers still burning in the fireplace. Sitting up, she pressed cool fingers to her forehead, trying to smooth out the tangle of wild red curls spilling over her face. Her hair finally tamed, she noticed something moving in front of the dying fire. She squinted and realized that it was Captain Hook, fast asleep in front of the fireplace, covered only by a thin blanket. Had he been sleeping there the entire time?

Suddenly he rolled over, facing her. His breathing was still soft, lulled, and she crawled to the edge of the bed and peered down at his face. It was the strangest thing she'd ever seen.

He'd always glared at her with those piercing blue eyes, a hard expression on his face. His lips would be permanently frozen in a scowl... but now, he almost looked peaceful. His face was relaxed, even boyish in a sense. Innocent. For the first time, she wasn't afraid of him. Surely no one who slept so unguarded, all the hardness gone from their face... could be evil.

She almost wanted to reach out and touch his hair, just as she always touched Peter's unruly hair when it fell into his eyes. Shaking the thought from her head, she furrowed her brows and backed away. No matter how harmless he looked in slumber, he was cruel. Beautiful, even, like the crown-of-thorns starfish, but ultimately deadly.

Ariel turned away and slid back under the covers. She lay there for several moments, her limbs numbing as her eyelids became heavier. She was almost sleep when she heard moaning. Quickly, she sat up and saw Captain Hook had turned over in his sleep. For a second, she worried he had woke, but a moment later he turned again, his eyes still closed. The look of harmlessness she had associated with him only minutes before contorted, but not in evil. In fear. His eyebrows ground together, and his lips twisted into a grimace.

"Milah," he groaned softly in his sleep. "You have to run."

Ariel watched him curiously, wondering who this Milah person was. It was such a strange sight to see him so defenseless, even in sleep.

"No!" he whispered loudly. _His dream must be horrifying_, Ariel thought. Nothing seemed capable of scaring Captain Hook.

"Milah!" he yelled suddenly, shooting up into a sitting position like a cannonball. Ariel quickly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep. He must have not noticed she was awake, because a moment later he laid back down and his breathing slowed. Ariel let out a sigh of relief to calm the start he gave her heart.

What could he have been dreaming of? Whatever could've been torturing him in his dreams must have been something awful.

Ariel watched him, the slow rise and fall of his chest. The lullaby of his soft breathing eventually lulled her into a dreamless slumber.

* * *

When she woke again, it was to the sound of keys being pounded in rapid succession, music following it a half a second later. Sunlight screamed through the dusty cabin windows, lighting his black hair with a yellow glow. Captain Hook sat in front of the piano, his fingers flying over the keys. Ariel sat up and resisted the urge to throw something at him for such a rude awakening.

"Do you always play while someone is trying to sleep?" She seethed. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Only when it's you," he said without even so much as a glance at her. The song shifted into something else, something she recognized. The song of the Merpeople. She sat up, listening to the flawless melody, when suddenly he hit the wrong key and a sour note reached her ears. She grimaced, expecting him to correct his mistake, but he simply continued to plow through the song.

"You played a wrong note," she said timidly.

He stopped suddenly, and turned around on the bench to look at her, a scowl on his face. "What?"

"You hit an A. It should've been A sharp."

He quickly snatched the piano sheets from its stand and flipped back to the previous page. A moment later, the scowl returned and he tossed it aside with a growl. His eyes turned to her and his hook deftly slammed against the A sharp.

"What does a mermaid know about notes?"

"Everything. My ancestors invented music, long before your kind came about."

He stood up with a fire in his eyes and took a step back. He turned towards her and gestured to the piano.

"Then you play," he challenged. Ariel gulped. Even though she could play, as a piano was the human equivalent of a Snarflack, she was still nowhere as good as the pirate. She was born of the sirens, and her voice was her instrument, but her pride prevented her from backing down.

Pushing the sheets aside, Ariel walked over to the piano. Well, stumbled. She wasn't used to gravity or two legs. She sat down and suddenly felt his hot breath behind her neck, sending shivers up her spine. She could feel his close he was, felt the warmth radiating from him. So close... if she leaned back, her back would be pressed against his chest.

"Well? Go on," he said with a leer, leaning closer. She could feel the cold silver of the chain around his neck brush her shoulder. With an all too clear clarity, she realized he was trying to intimidate her. Ariel sat up straighter and held her neck high. It was not going to work on her!

She began to play the song he had moments ago, it was really the only song she could play on the Snarflack. Immediately after the first line, her nervous fingers fumbled, unsure of direction. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Instead of quitting, she trudged through, grimacing whenever she messed up. He never stopped her.

When the song was finished, Hook scowled for a moment and looked like he wanted to rake his hook against her throat for butchering a song she chastised him about, but after a few silent seconds, the corner of his lip twitched and she realized he was holding back a smile.

"Captain!" Smee called from outside. Hook glanced at her once and trekked to the door. He paused for a moment, his hand on the knob. "Well played, Ariel," he said before exiting the cabin.

"Ariel!" A familiar voice whispered. She spun around on the bench to see Peter's face pressed at the window, hovering over the ocean as water sprayed him from behind.

"Peter!" Ariel exclaimed, slapping a hand over her mouth a moment later. The crew was out and about on deck, and she couldn't risk them hearing her. "What are you doing here?" she lowered her voice an octave.

"We've come to save you, of course," Peter remarked. "Here, give me your hand. We can pull you through."

"I have legs, I can't swim!" She reminded him. A shower of pixie dust hit her square in the face and she sneezed.

Peter reached through the hole and grabbed her hand, and she realized she was floating mid-air, like a mermaid in the sea. He pulled her through the porthole, but her hips hit the sides of the window, the metal lining digging into her sides. Peter continued to pull, even as she grimaced in pain when the metal dug deeper into her hips. "Stop, I'm stuck!"

"We're not pulling hard enough," Peter mused, ignoring her. He turned to the Lost Boys floating around him. "Pull!"

The Lost Boys formed a human chain behind Peter, grabbing on to the ankles of the boys in front of them.

"One…"

"Peter, I can't-" Ariel's voice was frantic, but he still ignored her.

"Two…" he continued.

"Peter, no!" She pleaded.

"Three!" he cried, tugging with all his might, and the combined efforts of his pals. Ariel tried to be quiet, she really did, but when she felt their combined efforts pulling her and the immense pain that shot into her sides at their tugging, it was like her mouth had a mind of its own when it shot open and let out a loud, painful scream.

"Ariel!" Peter scolded.

"I said, stop." She growled. A wave of sympathy passed over Peter's face when suddenly there was something tugging her ankle, pulling her back into the cabin.

Peter renewed his struggles, and Ariel was haplessly pulled in two directions, like a couple of sea urchins fighting over food. Peter, noticing her look of distress, finally let go of her. Ariel felt herself fly through the air, back through the cabin in one swift motion.

"Oomph!" Hook huffed as she slammed into him, landing on top of him in a heap.

"I'll come back for you, Ariel! I promise!" Peter called out, and when she raised my head to look back at the porthole, Peter and the boys were gone.

Hook pushed her off of him, and a moment later, hands wound around her waist, pulling her up. She clenched her teeth together to avoid crying out in pain.

"Wretched little mer-" He began, but suddenly cut off mid sentence. Ariel looked up at him through tear streaked eyes, his hands still grasping her waist. She followed his gaze down to her hips and gasped in horror at the red stain of blood pooling through her gown.

* * *

**Gah, sorry for taking FOREVER to upload. University has already really started to kick by butt. I'm definitely going to try and write another chapter before this week is over. Stay tuned! Thanks for all your support!**


	7. Reason To Be

Hook's cold blue eyes bore into Ariel's for a mere moment as he tenderly touched the edge of the rumpled rag against her hip, just above her skin. Ariel gripped the sheets tightly. Anticipation of the pain was always worse than the actual pain, she had come to realize.

"Hold still," he warned her coldly, but she could see the speckle of compassion in his eyes, the way his heart was not as quite hard and bitter as he led people to believe. After all, if he truly had not cared, he would have called Smee to clean her up instead, rather than giving her an excuse that she was going to bleed all over the place if he let anyone else do it.

Hook removed the cloth from her hip and pressed the clean, damp cloth into her wound. Ariel hissed in pain when it touched her open wound like salt water, momentarily setting it on fire. "It's like liquid fire," she breathed between clenched teeth, and blinked back the tears. She was a daughter of Triton, and she wouldn't show weakness in front of him.

"Close enough, it's whiskey. Just breathe."

His voice was kinder, gentler now, but still held the bite of ice. And why wouldn't it be? Ariel knew she was his ticket to getting rid of Peter Pan once and for all, and she had almost escaped. If he hadn't needed her, that stunt would've been the death of her. When the cloth was dark with blood and her side tender but clean, he walked over to his desk, rooting around in the drawers. Taking out a few long strips of cloth, he sauntered across the room and handed them to her.

"Bandage yourself. I'll find you something else to wear," he said as he strolled to the wardrobe by the desk, wedged into the corner. He pulled out a plain white ruffled shirt and a pain of long black trousers and tossed them to her.

"Men's clothes?" She asked, holding up the shirt in her hands, knowing all too well they were made for the frame of him, and would not fit on her.

"Unless you'd rather go naked. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that," he said with a smirk. Ariel felt her cheeks burn and reverently shook her head.

"Then cease your complaints. There are no women's clothing aboard a ship of men," he said rhetorically, and paused for a fleeting moment before regaining his composure and slammed the wardrobe doors shut and strode out of the room like a madman with a mission. Once he was gone, Ariel stripped the ripped clothing off of her and wrapped the bandages around her waist.

Glancing nervously back at the door, Ariel hurriedly slipped the ruffled shirt over her head, just as she had seen men do as she watched morning ships from a distance as she hid behind high reefs. There were two other long holes, and her hands felt trapped in the clothing, so she pushed each arm through a hole until she could see her hands again. Easy. The trousers looked more formidable, but it seemed to work the same way the hands did, but with legs. She pulled them as far above her waist as possible, but they wouldn't take hold and kept dropping to her feet. With a sigh, she leaned over and quietly opened the same drawers he did earlier, and procured old rope. She quickly looped it around the trousers and tied it securely to her waist, careful to not hit her sore injury.

A few moments later, a loud rap sounded from the door.

"Are you decent?" Hook's voice called from the other side. Ariel frowned. Of course she was decent, she was always decent. She was a princess after all, and there was plenty to be expected from her in her kingdom.

"Harrumph!" Ariel snorted loudly enough for him to hear her. A pirate, suggesting that she might not be decent! It was a slight on her character.

Her answer must've assured him that yes, she was in fact a lady, and he barged in as expected and went right over to his desk without giving her so much as an apology.

With her nose in the air, she turned away from him and lay down, snuggling under the thick covers. She slowly fell asleep to the sound of pen scratching against parchment.

Ariel's dreams melted together, blending into something continuous. Scenes constantly shifted, and people bled through between one and the other, but one person stayed throughout, his ice blue eyes following her whenever she went. He was there in each dream, but remained in the background. His gaze never left her as one dream ended and another began, and it never once wavered.

* * *

Boom!

Ariel's eyes flew open, and she sat open in a panic to see what had awakened her.

"Get out!" Captain Hook yelled. But when her eyes found him, he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he stood in the middle of the room, glaring down Smee who stood in the doorway, clearly terrified out of his wits.

"Y-yes, Captain," he stammered before backpedaling out of the door, pulling the door shut behind him in such a frenzy, he left it cracked. Another second and he returned to pull the door firmly shut. Ariel's eyes sought out Hook, but instead rested on a large stain by the door, dripping a dull and dark red. Glass lay smashed beneath it.

She turned to Hook to see that he had already walked back over to his desk, and had a half-empty bottle full of the same dark liquid. He took a long swig before slamming the bottle back down on the desk, empty. His cold eyes turned to her and she immediately wished to drop her gaze, but defiant as she was, held it.

"What'reeee you lookin' at?" He growled, his words slurring together. It was then she realized his eyes were glassy. One look toward the empty bottle, and she realized he was drunk. She had seen mermen under similar effects after too much Kelpcohol. Ariel looked past him and out the window to see the sun steadily rising over the horizon, and looked back at him, her features twisting into confusion. The sun hadn't even fully risen and he was already drunk?

"Make yourself useful and fetch me another bottle of rum," he snapped. Her eyes narrowed and she felt her hands clench into fists at her side. The audacity of him!

"I am your prisoner, _not _your slave." Ariel snapped at him. His eyes widened in surprise; he evidently wasn't used to being talked back too, much less by a hostage.

"Insolent mermaid," he mumbled under his breath.

"Insufferable pirate!" she shot back. Despite all her father's attempts, there was no stopping her from saying what came to her mind, especially when she was angry. His eyes held clear warning if she were to continue, but she was done being afraid of him.

"Mind your manners, girl." He growled, his hook glinted in the early sunrise.

"Says the pirate who hasn't any," she retorted, pushing the covers away and standing up. With each declaration, she took a small step toward him, until she had reached the desk that separated them. "You stole me, threw me into some dark, dank brig, and speak to a lady with disrespect. It is you who needs manners, pirate." She said, raising her head high.

"Have you heard of the saying, 'dont speak unless spoken', mermaid?" he said in a low voice, a dangerous glint gleaming in his eyes, akin to the silver hook on his hand. Ariel knew this was her warning to stop antagonizing him, but she was livid and couldn't bring herself to stop, even if she wanted too.

"I was spoken too, you arrogant drunk."

"Your attitude is getting to be a real problem, girl." He growled, taking a step around his desk toward her.

"_My _attitude? I'm not the one already getting drunk before the sun rises!" Ariel exclaimed. Anger rolled off of her in waves, and emotion wrapped around her throat like a noose. He turned his back on her, but that only fueled her fire.

"I thought that maybe there was an ounce of goodness in you, but it was clear I was wrong. You're exactly what I thought you were: a coward. A drunken coward, incapable of love or being loved." Ariel yelled back at him.

He turned so sharply that Ariel barely saw it, and the look he gave her could force the sun into hiding. His gaze was deadly, and for the first time she was actually frozen in fear. With a slow, deliberate step he was close, so close, that she instinctively took a step back, only for him to take a step toward. She took a step back for every step he took, until her back hit the wall and she couldn't move. She could smell the rum on his breath as he closed the gap between them, his hands on either side of her, trapping her where she was. Even then, he leaned closer still.

"Don't presume things you know nothing about," he growled, his hot breath numbing her senses before he turned and stormed out of the room.

Ariel let out a breath she hadn't realized she held until the door slammed slut and her lungs felt uncomfortably tight. Unable to move, Ariel sank to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her. After a few calming breaths, she shakily regained her composure enough to stumble toward the bed.

Fear pitted in her stomach when she heard the doors unlock, and let out a sigh of relief when Smee waddled in, more belly than legs. He held a damp rag in his hands, and with a glance toward her, he began wiping down the stain from the wall, carefully stepping over shards of glass. When he was finished, he bent over to begin picking up shards with his bare fingers.

Ariel felt a wave of sympathy for the man. He seemed to be Hook's right hand man, but was treated more viciously than her. And she hadn't been around him long, but Smee had likely been with Hook for years, suffering this abuse at the hands of his Captain. Ariel slid out of the bed, crawling toward him on her knees to help clean up the glass.

"You needn't help, miss," he said, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Let me." As soon as the two of them picked up all the pieces and sweep the miniscule pieces into the rag, Ariel finally looked up at him. She couldn't imagine how he put up with such a devil for so long. It was obvious how Hook mistreated him and took him for granted.

"Why do you do it, Mister Smee? Why do you stay?" Ariel asked, her voice gentle.

"He's my friend, Ariel. He needs me, even if he won't acknowledge it." He said with a determined nod, as if he truly believed what he was saying. Ariel was rendered speechless by his words.

"He's evil. He's incapable of friendship."

"He had many o' bad traits, miss. But he's hardly evil. I can't blame him. It's understandable." The way he said it, he sounded fond of Hook. Sympathetic, even. Ariel raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Understandable to drink so early?" She asked. "Only himself can be held liable for how much he drinks. He's more than accountable for his own actions," she added. She admired the way Smee was loyal and wanted to defend Hook, but some things were inexcusable.

"No, miss. The reasons he drinks. That is what's understandable," he said, almost as if he were pleading a case for her to understand.

Ariel narrowed her eyes. "Drinking isn't condemnable, but getting drunk before sunrise for the sheer pleasure of it?" She pointed out.

Smee looked up at her, almost as if he was trying to explain some point that she just couldn't understand. "It is not for pleasure that he drinks. He does so out of pain. To forget," he stressed, as if he were trying to explain something entirely obvious that she didn't see.

Ariel wrinkled her eyebrows. "To forget what?"

Panic sprung in Smee's eyes, and she could almost see him retreating back into his shell. "Nothing, miss." he mumbled, refusing to meet her eyes as he took the pieces from her hand and wrapped them into the damp cloth with the others.

Hesitantly, Ariel reached forward to place her small hand on top of his, stopping him before he shut her out completely.

"Please tell me," she said softly, pleading with both her voice and eyes.

His eyes darted nervously toward the door and back to her. "Never tell him I told you this." He waited until she nodded her promise to resume.

"He drinks to forget _her_."

* * *

**I'd like to thank all my reviewers. I love reading what you all have to say. I'm still so surprised it's been months since I've updated last, but still get reviews or adds once in a while. You guys are truly amazing, and I'm Soooooooooooooooo sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I promise I won't go so long without posting again. Hope any of you reading this will forgive me! Have a lovely day, hookriel shippers, and tell me what you think about this chapter. I love getting reviews, it makes my day!**


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